Rockwell International Corporation

Leslie M Holmes, Jr

Murray W Mahoney

Nickel base alloy sheets are diffusion bonded together at a temperature which is low enough to retain the superplastic properties of the nickel base alloy. A foil and a screen of type 300 series stainless steel are placed between the sheets in the area to be bonded. This assembly is sealed in an envelope and maintained in a vacuum to protect the surfaces from oxidation, and placed within the heated platens of a press. The assembly is heated to a temperature below which rapid grain growth occurs, and sufficient pressure is applied by the press to deform the screen to create continuous contact between the surfaces to be bonded. Diffusion causes bonding of the sheets in less than six hours at temperature, without destroying the superplasticity of the nickel base alloy. In an embodiment of the invention, gas pressure is applied between the sheets in a location away from the bond to superplastically form the sheets during the bonding process.

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Simi Valley, CA, United States of America

Leslie M Holmes, Jr